Elias & Liam: A Love Story Beyond Time (Book 2)

ELIAS & LIAM

At Westbridge Academy, there were three things every student knew.

One, Liam Blackwood was untouchable.

Two, Thorns, his best friend, was the last person anyone should provoke.

And three?

If Liam asked you to be his girlfriend, you had exactly two days before he got bored.

He never made promises. Never explained himself. And certainly never stayed long enough for anyone to believe they mattered.

Handsome, wealthy, cold, and terrifyingly indifferent, Liam was every girl's dream and every boy's nightmare.

His dark eyes could silence an entire room, and his mere presence was enough to make people reconsider whatever foolish thing they had planned to say.

But Liam wasn't the only person people feared.

Thorns, his best friend, was equally intimidating.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and perpetually expressionless, Thorns possessed the kind of presence that made even confident students lower their voices. He rarely spoke, but when he did, people listened.

He wasn't Liam's shadow.

He was the only person who could stand beside Liam without being overshadowed.

Together, they were trouble nobody wanted to invite.

And this morning, trouble had arrived early.

"Liam, please! Just give me one more chance!"

A girl stood outside the school building, tears gathering in her eyes.

Liam didn't even slow down.

"We're done."

"But it's only been two days!"

"Exactly."

The girl stared at him as though he'd slapped her.

Liam simply adjusted the strap of his backpack and continued walking.

Behind him, Thorns glanced at the crying girl before returning his attention to his friend.

"Your record is getting ridiculous."

Liam shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Then stop counting."

"You dated her on Monday."

"And?"

"It's Wednesday."

"Congratulations. You can read a calendar."

Thorns stared at him.

Then he shook his head.

"One day, someone will make you regret being such an arrogant bastard."

Liam's expression didn't change.

"That sounds like their problem."

Thorns almost smiled.

Almost.

They continued towards their classroom, ignoring the whispers following them down the corridor.

Liam didn't care what people thought of him. He didn't care about the girls who wanted his attention or the boys who hated him for receiving it.

His world was small.

His patience was smaller.

And his heart?

As far as everyone knew, it didn't exist.

Everyone was wrong.

Because the moment Liam stepped into the classroom, his eyes searched for exactly one person.

Elias.

There he was, sitting beside the window, carefully arranging his books.

Soft, beautiful, and almost painfully gentle, Elias looked like someone who belonged in a world without cruelty. His delicate features and quiet smile made people instinctively soften around him.

He wasn't weak.

But there was something about him that made Liam want to shield him from everything that could hurt him.

Elias looked up.

Their eyes met.

And Liam's expression changed.

It was subtle. Almost invisible.

The tension in his shoulders eased. The coldness in his eyes softened, and the frightening boy who had just dismissed a girl without blinking suddenly looked like someone who had found the only place he wanted to be.

Thorns noticed.

Of course he did.

He noticed everything when it came to Liam.

"Unbelievable," he muttered.

Liam ignored him and walked towards Elias.

"Good morning, Eli."

Elias smiled.

"Good morning, Liam."

"Did you eat?"

Elias blinked. "Good morning to you too."

"Answer me."

A small laugh escaped Elias.

"Not yet."

Liam's jaw tightened.

"Why?"

"I wasn't hungry."

"That wasn't the question."

Elias lowered his gaze, fighting a smile.

"I'll eat something now."

Liam placed a small paper bag on his desk.

"Your favourite."

Elias looked inside.

A strawberry sandwich and a bottle of milk.

His face brightened.

"You remembered?"

Liam stared at him as though the question offended him.

"I remember everything about you."

For a moment, Elias said nothing.

Then his cheeks turned pink.

Across the room, Thorns watched them with the expression of a man who had witnessed this ridiculous display far too many times.

"You're aware," he told Liam, "that you look like an entirely different person around him?"

Liam didn't look away from Elias.

"Keep talking, and you'll look like a dead person."

Thorns raised an eyebrow.

"See? That's the Liam I know."

Elias laughed softly.

And Liam decided, as he always did, that he would gladly listen to that sound for the rest of his life.

---

THE FIRST WARNING

By lunchtime, the entire school had heard about Liam's latest breakup.

Nobody was particularly surprised.

What surprised them was what happened next.

A boy from the senior class approached Elias near the cafeteria.

"Hey, pretty boy."

Elias looked up from his lunch.

"Are you talking to me?"

The boy grinned.

"Who else? You're cute. Want to sit with me?"

Before Elias could answer, another voice interrupted.

"Walk away."

The boy turned.

Liam stood a few feet away, his hands in his pockets.

Thorns stood beside him, his expression so cold that the boy instinctively took a step back.

"I was just talking to him," the boy protested.

"And now you're done."

"Who made you his owner?"

The cafeteria went quiet.

Liam tilted his head.

Nobody moved.

Then Thorns stepped forward.

"You have three seconds to leave before I help you understand why that was a stupid question."

His voice was calm.

That made it worse.

The boy looked between them, muttered something under his breath, and walked away.

Liam immediately turned to Elias.

"Did he touch you?"

Elias shook his head.

"No."

"Did he say anything else?"

"Liam, I'm fine."

Liam studied his face for another moment before pulling out the chair beside him.

"Sit with us."

Elias glanced at Thorns.

Thorns stared back.

"Don't look at me," he said. "I'm not the one who becomes unbearable whenever someone breathes too close to you."

Elias laughed.

Liam kicked Thorns under the table.

Thorns didn't even flinch.

"Immature," he muttered.

But when Elias settled beside Liam, the coldness in Liam's expression finally eased.

He opened Elias's milk for him, pushed the food closer, and silently made sure he had everything he needed.

The same boy who discarded relationships without a second thought treated Elias as though the smallest discomfort could shatter his world.

Thorns watched them in silence.

He knew Liam better than anyone.

He knew about the sleepless nights, the anger Liam never explained, and the loneliness hidden beneath his indifference.

But most importantly, he knew one thing Liam would never admit aloud.

Liam wasn't afraid of loving someone.

He was afraid of what would happen if he ever lost the person he loved.

And Elias?

Elias had no idea just how much of Liam already belonged to him.

[Author's POV: Liam can date a girl for two days but can't survive two minutes without checking whether Elias has eaten. Thorns needs hazard pay for witnessing this nonsense every day. 😂]

💌 A LITTLE TEA FOR MY READERS

Tell me something!

Do you think Liam already knows he's in love with Elias, or is he still pretending that his behaviour is completely normal? 👀❤️

And Thorns? That man deserves his own salary for babysitting Liam's emotions. 😂